Halo Dev Says He Expected Disappointment At E3 Over Lack Of Big News

Microsoft's E3 2017 briefing this year didn't have any big news about the next entry in the core Halo series, and while this was to be expected, some fans were still let down by the no-show. Now, Halo community manager Brian Jarrard has spoken up to talk about the "odd show for Halo" and how he and the team anticipated that it would be a frustrating show for some.

"This was the first time returning to E3 in a few years so I was personally super excited to get the opportunity to go back--even though it was going to be an odd show for Halo and 343 and I fully expected a lot of disappointed fans at the lack of new hotness in the keynote," Jarrard wrote in the latest Halo weekly blog post.

Microsoft opened its E3 2017 briefing with a cool video for Xbox One X that featured Master Chief's helmet, so Halo wasn't completely left out of the show. And after the show itself, Microsoft announced a big new expansion for Halo Wars 2. But still, Jarrard pointed out that while he personally enjoyed E3 2017, he understands that "the Halo community at large had a slightly different take."

He said he understands where fans are coming from, wanting to know more about Halo 6. But as Microsoft has said before, the game is not ready yet for its official unveiling.

"Really, we're all passionate about Halo ... and we want to root for the franchise we love and have always associated with Xbox platforms and keynotes," he said. "Don't worry, Halo will have its grand moments again for sure, but it's actually kind of nice to have a breather and let the team stay heads down working on what’s next that'll be ready when it's ready."

Earlier this month, Microsoft said it won't talk more about the next big Halo game for "quite some time." The company ruled out an announcement at Gamescom (August) or PAX Prime (September).

The most recent Halo shooter, Halo 5: Guardians, was released back in October 2015 and has received a great deal of post-launch support ever since. Its single-player campaign was the source of some criticism, particularly its story and how it related (or did not) to its marketing. Whatever changes are made, we do know Halo 6 will feature split-screen multiplayer support.